Brotherhood
by MatveyJeevas
Summary: Before Hogwarts, the only other child in the house besides Sirius was Regulus. How did they grow up together; what kind of brothers were they? How did Sirius' arrival at Hogwarts destroy their friendship? Follow Sirius through his family troubles. R&R!
1. Slytherin

A/N: Okay, I wrote the beginning (I suppose around six or seven thousand words) when I was about eleven or twelve, and I'm fourteen now. I've done very little editing, sorry... but I just wanted to see if anyone would like this. It's my take on Sirius' life. I hope the _real_ story isn't revealed in Pottermore... xD

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it.

**Chapter One**

Sirius Black stared with wide grey eyes at the wonders of Diagon Alley. It was filled to the brim of everything he'd ever imagined about magic and included the latest brooms, owls and even some pretty cool books. Each twig of every broom had been magically enchanted to go faster than the next, and the owls chirped noisily, even annoyingly, every time someone walked by. Books of magic- _all _books of magic- were displayed proudly on the shelves of stores, filled with text about goblin wars and fairies and dragons and Quidditch. He gaped at the shops that lit up the street, and the wonderful smells of unknown potions that filled his nostrils. It was utopia.

But Hogwats would be even _better_.

Sirius already knew what House he would be in, anyway, so he didn't have too much on his mind about that. His whole family had been in Slytherin, so he wouldn't be any different. Slytherin was for him! He loved the snakes that symbolized the Slytherin House, and didn't care too much for the raven or badger for two others. But the lion was decent, he had to admit. Sirius shook the thought from his head- he couldn't be in _Gryffindor_. He'd be disowned!

The young boy looked around Diagon Alley and saw the first years purchasing school supplies, glaring at them enviously. Being only nine (almost ten!), he wasn't going to Hogwarts yet. Poor Regulus had to wait even longer!

His mother, Walburga, was holding his brother's grubby little hand. Sirius trailed behind them, wishing he could go to Hogwarts and stop being teased by his cousin Bellatrix. Andromeda, the only member of his family he really liked other than his brother, stood up for him mostly, but Narcissa and Bellatrix would sneer and tell him he'd never be in Slytherin.

_Sirius just had to prove them wrong!_

He continued down the road, still watching the other, older children with bitterness and jealousy. They wore their new robes even though there were still weeks until school started. He glared at them all jealously. But Sirius supposed that everyone had to wait, so he did too. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Walburga let go of Regulus' hand and stopped for a moment before turning to her sons, waiting impatiently for Sirius to catch up.

"Children, I need to go purchase... a book. Sirius, watch Regulus while I'm in the store, don't wander off, and don't come inside. Stay put, you two."

No "please." No "thank you." Just "do it."

Sirius was used to it, so he led Regulus over to a nearby bench and sat down, beckoning for his brother to do the same.

"You're going to Hogwarts real soon!" Regulus reminded him, grinning. "You'll send me letters and everything, ri-"

"Reg, I haven't even gotten my letter yet but of course I'll send you owls I've told you a million times! For now we have to put up with Mother and Father, but just for a little bit longer." He grimaced at the thought.

"And don't forget about Kreacher!"

"Er... yeah. Kreacher. Not that I'd count that ugly prune as part of the family."

"Well he's our house-elf you might as well count him as such," Regulus retorted.

"What do you see in him, Reg? He's just creepy." Sirius shivered, imagining the old and wrinkly rude house-elf.

"He serves us, so if we're nice he won't put flobberworm bits in our tea! I'd hate that, wouldn't you? Plus he's an okay guy."

"...Right, okay, whatever you say, kid. I disagree, but then again, we disagree a lot, don't you think?" He smiled, remembering all of their petty arguments.

"I'm right anyway," Regulus told him matter of factly.

"Sure, sure," Sirius rolled his eyes, smiling at a group of first-year girls. They looked at him, snorted, and started giggling amongst themselves. "Ah, the girls love me," he boasted, watching them take their leave. "I'm so damn "hot.""

"Sirius, Mum says not to use those kinds of words until-"

"Forget whatever the hell Mother says. She's a big fat liar if there ever was one," Sirius sneered. "Did you hear her call Bellatrix a "gentle flower?" Sickening isn't it."

"Well, yeah, I can't imagine Bellatrix being anything but her mean ugly self but... anyway what if you're Sorted into Hufflepuff?"

He was about to say that Bellatrix wasn't actually what you would call ugly, but Sirius burst out laughing, rubbernecking at his brother. "You... have... got... to... be... kidding... me," he spluttered, wiping an eye. When Regulus looked pretty damn serious (no pun intended), Sirius stared at him. "Regulus, my dear mislead brother, please tell me you were _joking_."

Regulus crossed his arms. "Of course I wasn't joking."

"Reg... Hufflepuffs aren't for Blacks. I don't think there has been anyone in the Black family in Hufflepuff. A few of the disowned members have been in Gryffindor, maybe Ravenclaw, though Ravenclaw isn't such a big deal, it just means you're smart... anyway, no, Regulus. Just no. If I'm Sorted into Hufflepuff I'll charm my hair lime green."

Sirius _loved _his hair, and called it a god's head because of its casual elegance. The black curls fell just above and around his eyes, obscuring his handsome face just enough. Just at nine and he was already arrogant and hot-headed as any other Slytherin, with an additional sense of humor that was rarely found in mean Slytherins. So, if he made a statement that suggested damage to his perfect hair in any way, shape or form, he was definitely sure that the outcome would never stray from his bargain, keeping his locks in superb condition.

"You wouldn't!" exclaimed Regulus, astounded that Sirius would even suggest such a fate.

"It means I won't be in Hufflepuff, Reg. I'd chose Gryffindor over Hufflepuff any day. And you do know that I won't be in Gryffindor no matter _what_." He nodded matter of factly.

"Well in any case, you'll be in Slytherin. 'Cause you're not smart enough for Ravencl-"

"Shut up," Sirius scowled, whacking his brother in the head. "I am smart, and you know it, you bloody dolt. That's why you want to be just like me. I'm smart, handsome, funny and cool."

"That may be so," Regulus said slowly, a grin forming on his chubby face, "but I'm the favorite."

His older brother crossed his arms. "No way, I'm definitely the favorite. Why would they favor you?"

"Because I give them the time of day. And Kreacher likes me more, so that helps-"

"Oh, what do I care what they think? When I go to Hogwarts, girls will swarm to me like a hippogriff to a pile of dead ferrets.

"...Interesting simile..."

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"And they won't do the same for me?" Regulus asked. He did have a certain charm to him, after all.

Sirius considered him for a moment. "Maybe the ugly ones," he decided after a while. "But not many more than that."

"Sirius, why are you so _mean_ to me?"

"It's my job, Regulus. It's my job as an older brother to be mean. I even get paid, you know. A _lot_."

"You do?"

"Uh huh. I get ten sickles a day and I will for the rest of my life."

"Nu uh! You do not. If you got that much you'd be able to get those dungbombs."

"I'm messing with you, Regulus! Merlin, I thought that you would have understood." He rolled his eyes and flicked some of his hair out of them, obviously pulling a stunt to look cool; something that would become a habit.

"Aw, that was mean, Siri-"

A high pitched scream could be heard in the distance right then. The brothers stood up immediately, forgetting their mother's warnings, and ran toward where the scream was made. A plump but pretty girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, wearing red a cloak with a golden number on the back, no doubt a Gryffindor Quidditch uniform, was on the ground, crying for help. The boy towering over her who was clad in a green cloak with a silver number on the back was pointing his wand at her, sneering evilly.

"You filthy little Mudblood!" he yelled, shouting another hex and making the girl scream and thrash again. Tears ran down her terrified face, causing hair to cling to her cheeks. She was completely helpless, and from where he was standing Sirius could see her wand inches from her hand. A crowd of boys were all standing around them, laughing, some of them wearing regular school robes, others in green Quidditch robes.

Sirius felt an urge to go and help her, but was scared of the schoolboys. Passerby's were watching the horrible scene, but did nothing about it. Sirius wanted to _yell _at them, tell them to do something for this tormented girl!

Then a boy with dark short brown hair and glasses ran up to the boys, yelling something that sounded like "stupid" before a jet of red light hit the Slytherin boy. He fell down, unconscious, while the brown-haired boy shot more of the spells at the others. Then the hero ran up to the girl, propped her on his knee, and lifted her up to go to the nearest place where she would be comfortable and safe, whispering words of comfort the whole time.

Sirius and Regulus stood side by side, watching with amazement. "Did... did you see that?" the older of the two whispered.

"Wha- what was that, Sirius?" Regulus asked, holding onto his brother's arm tightly, too scared to let go. "What just... happened?"

"That girl... she was a Mudblood," Sirius explained, eyes fixed on the spot where she was just laying in agony. "They wanted to... show her her place, that's all."

"But she's just a person! Why would they do that? Were they from Hogwarts?"

"...Yes, they were from Hogwarts. Slytherins. I don't kn... well, Regulus, anyway... we should hurry back to the book store; Mother is waiting." Not even trying to shake his whiny brother from his arm, Sirius turned around and led him back to the store, sitting down on the bench with Reg. His brother looked like he was about to cry; he looked how Sirius felt.

Sirius wondered... was Slytherin really the best House there was?

A/N: Okay, I'm not trying to flame Slytherin. Personally, I love Slytherin and think they get waaay too much bad credit. But seeing as this is in the point of view of Sirius, still with his evil family... well, yeah. Sorry about any grammatical errors that you may have seen... I may need a beta at some point. Maybe.


	2. Birthday and Toast

AN: To those of you who have begun to watch me… all two of you… xD Um, sorry, I would have posted this like a month ago, but I haven't got Word on my computer. I'm working on it. This is the library computer. I don't think the chess match is very realistic. I don't know, I'm terrible at chess. xD

Again, I wrote this at twelve years old. It's been two years. I hope that the later chapters will be better. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it.

…..

Over the next few weeks Sirius wasn't his normal self. He sat in his room, staring at the posters of Quidditch players on his wall and memorized the sequence of the Seeker just missing the Snitch while a Beater swung his bat toward one of the Bludgers while the Keeper of one of the teams blocked the Quaffle. The crowd cheered silently the whole time, little specks of color dancing.

Yes, that's how bored he was.

He trudged down the creaky stairs for supper, tentatively sitting down while Kreacher was just finishing setting the table. Refraining from barking at him to go away, Sirius bit his lip but couldn't stay tense for long when the aroma of the meal filled his lungs.

They ate the food silently. It was steak with baked potatoes and fruit salad. Sirius had to pick out the bananas and cantaloupe; Kreacher knew he didn't care for them. The little bastard had a hundred little quirks that made Sirius despise him.

"Your cousins are coming for your birthday next month, Sirius," Walburga told him as dinner came to an end. "I expect you to be on your very best behavior. No yelling, running or talking back. You are to spend equal time with all three of them, and not to ignore Bellatrix or Narcissa. Do not complain."

Sirius resisted the urge to mouth the words "do not complain" with her and mutter "some birthday present." He just nodded, staying quiet, and stood up to head off to his room, dreading the day when he would turn ten years old. His cousins would surely ruin his double digit day, pestering and bullying him until he was forced to lose control and get in trouble by his mother.

When he started up the stairs, he looked over his shoulder to make sure his family wasn't watching him before he sprinted up the steps.

Safe in his room now that all family affairs were over for the night, Sirius sat down on his bed and ran a hand through his hair. Bellatrix was the nastiest person he knew and had a problem with makeup and her hair. She was older than her sisters and a mean person in general. The Slytherin girl's two younger sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, were much nicer, especially Andromeda. Narcissa could be a menace, but Sirius didn't _hate_ her. Bellatrix was in her last year at Hogwarts; she had turned eighteen just recently. Andromeda was sixteen, in her fifth year, and Narcissa was thirteen, in her third year.

He shook the thought out of his mind and grabbed an old textbook that he'd stolen from his father's study. It was for Transfiguration, the only book he was able to snatch because it was one of the few Orion didn't read anymore. Sirius turned to the first page, fascinated with the artwork and magic behind Transfiguration. This book was for third years, which was quite a jump for him, but the concept was simple enough, he thought. It was something like turning a rabbit into a hat, rather like a Muggle "magician" producing a rabbit out of a top hat. Sirius always laughed and rolled his eyes about Muggles thinking they could perform magic, because it was the last thing on earth they'd be able to do.

Then there were Animagi.

Sirius _longed_ to meet a real Animagus. He heard from his cousins that the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts was a cat. He couldn't wait to find out if it was true or not, nearly jumping with excitement at the mere thought of it. Personally, Sirius thought his Animagus form would be a small bear or a big dog, maybe even a wolf, but he couldn't be too sure. He supposed it would look like his Patronus, another exciting kind of magic that he knew little about because he only has the Transfiguration book.

He sighed, staring at an intense motion picture of a human transforming into a falcon and taking off in flight, free as... well, as a bird. The picture went on over and over again, forever continuous even when he closed the book.

…..

"You're ten today, Sirius!" exclaimed Regulus, knocking at his door in what seemed to be the middle of the night. Probably midnight, on the dot.

The boy opened groggy eyes and glared at the door. "Leafmelone..." he muttered darkly, chucking a pillow at the door.

"But it's nine in the morning!" Regulus whined, opening the door and barging into his room. "Mum sent me to get you. I can't just ignore her orders, you know, they're pretty strict so-"

_"Nine A.M.?" _Sirius hissed, the information sinking in. He jumped out of bed, towering over his brother. "Why didn't someone wake me up earlier? It's my birthday! They should at least consider that I want to be awake for the most part of it!"

"Mum said you wanted to sleep in!" Regulus staggered backwards, shrinking. "She said you were really tired. I didn't know- I'm sorry!"

Sirius crossed his arm, anger easing away. "Regulus, you're so hopeless. Toughen up, don't be sorry! Mother just doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. I want to make having the three of them coming over be as far away as possible. When are they coming again?"

Regulus gulped, looking his brother in the eyes, grey meeting brown. "Uh... they... they're already here," he said, trying his best not to back away from the certain fit of rage Sirius would release on the only other person present.

"What? You're kidding!"

"N-No," Regulus murmured. "See, er, they got here like ten minutes ago so Mum told me to wake you. So... err..."

"Oh, calm the hell down, kid." Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to take my anger out on you. Though I never really fancied Bellatrix coming," he shrugged. "I suppose I'll have to deal with it. Families always have to do this shit, anyway. Tell Mother I'm getting dressed. Okay?"

"Okay!" Glad to have an excuse to leave, he rushed out and obeyed. Sirius shut the door behind him, rolling his eyes again, and pulled on clothes that he would never wear near anyone he knew, not that he'd had many friends outside the family. In the life of a pureblood Slytherin, you never really talk to anyone besides Slytherins. They were all related somehow. Sirius hated the fact that he would probably end up marrying a cousin once removed or something.

Smoothing out his God-given hair, he left the room and was careful to close the door behind him to hide the messy floor. Then he trudged down the stairs, dreading the scene that was predicable yet terrible.

"Sirius!" cooed Bellatrix mockingly, "what a happy day this is. _Happy birthday._"

For eighteen, she didn't have the maturity level of even an eight year old.

"Happy birthday, Sirius," Andromeda said with a little smile, followed by a wave on Narcissa's part.

"Thanks," he told Andromeda, making it look like he was thanking all three of them, because his mum was in the room. His manipulation didn't fool any three of his cousins, but his mother seemed fine, unless she didn't care or was used to it.

"So, Siripoo," Bellatrix started, eyes narrowing. "What do you want to do for your special day?"

Sirius stopped himself from glaring at her and replied, "I think I'd like to play chess, actually."

"Chess? Aww, how adorable. Come on, tell the truth now."

He crossed his arms. "I have an old set of wizards' chess," he offered. "I'll play all three of you."

"Alright," Andromeda cut Bellatrix off, for she was bound to make a snide comment. "Where is this set, then, Sirius?"

Sirius started to turn around, looking over his shoulder. "In my room," he said, staring up the stairs again. "I'll go get it." When he was climbing up the steps, he added under his breath, "In my room... somewhere."

Eventually, though, he found it, and minutes later he was playing Narcissa.

"Check," Narcissa said soon enough, while Sirius had only one more pawn than her and their queens were missing.

"Da- Darn," Sirius stammered, avoiding swearing in the presence of Bellatrix. He stared at the board for a minute before, "King to E5."

Narcissa smirked. "You're not so bad, are you?"

"I got your queen, didn't I?"

"And I captured yours."

"...Touché."

Narcissa and Andromeda exchanged an amused glance, then "Knight to D3. Check."

"You keep catching up!" Sirius complained, but then he grinned. "Rook to D3." This command was followed by an epic battle between her knight and his rook. Of course, his Rook won, and he brushed the pieces of the defeated knight into his palm before gently placing them on the table.

"You'll pay for that, kid. It was my last knight..."

"You were about to smother my king! Couldn't let you, could I. Payback is served."

"Not even close," muttered Narcissa, looking intently at the board. "Alright, then. Pawn to D3."

"No! My rook. Gr, you're mean."

"It's only natural," she laughed.

Sirius backtracked. "What d'you mean?" he asked, suddenly looking up from the game.

"Slytherins are naturally cruel," she explained, smirking. "Ambitious. Willing to do anything to anyone to get what we want."

The boy didn't say anything, and thought to himself. Was that what those boys were thinking back in Diagon Alley? Maybe. It was a rotten thing to do, though. He hoped they got in trouble.

"Knight to F6," he murmured after a while.

"You've practically killed yourself! Great. Dumb _kid_."

"You're only three years older than me," he retorted defensively.

"Four years," she corrected him, "And pawn to F6." Narcissa looked at her cousin. "My birthday is in two weeks, remember? We can't count this grace period."

"Fine then. Only_ four years,_" Sirius mimicked. "Anyway, pawn to F6. Pawn takes a pawn," he grinned. "Now there's only one left on the board."

"I don't play chess often, Sirius," Narcissa told him, crossing her arms. "Don't expect me to win. We're on the same level, if you play a lot."

"I don't, though. If I did we'd be doing something else." He was grinning, but had decided on reserving his arrogant hair flips for school.

"Bishop to D6. Check."

"King to E6."

"Bishop to... wait, no. Rook to D4. Check."

"King to E7. Checkmate. I win!" Sirius grinned, watching all of the white pieces crumble to little pieces while the black pieces pulled themselves together and kicked the others off the board.

"They're about to dance," said the boy, staring at the game and waiting. Then, just as Sirius predicted, the black pieces all started to freestyle dance in a crazy manner. "Don't tell my mother that I did this," he warned. "She'll disapprove."

"Your mum can't be _that_ bad," argued Andromeda.

_"Filth! Slime! Blood of muck!"_ Sirius quoted, grimacing, with the slightest hint of humor.

"Your mum has a right to say that," Bellatrix said, her lip curling. "Disgusting, aren't they, Mudbloods?"

"Bella. Maybe you should get to _know_ someone before judging them," snarled Andromeda. Sirius was the only one in the family who knew she was dating a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks.

"_Talk_ to a Mudblood? Are you _kidding_ me? They'll probably breathe on me and make me sick. Never in my _life_..." She shuddered.

Sirius suddenly didn't want to play chess anymore, even though he hadn't played Andromeda yet. "Maybe we should do something else," he suggested, inching away from Bellatrix.

"Scared, Sirius?" sneered Bellatrix. "Whatever, kid. Let's do what you want, I don't want to be here anyway."

The rest of the morning was full of Bellatrix's nasty comments and remarks, of course. She mentioned that Sirius was stupid among other things. And of course, she would make fun of Narcissa's hatred toward Lucius Malfoy.

"You'll be married one day and have lots of blond children," she'd said.

Andromeda did have to yell at Bellatrix a bit, and that made his birthday more enjoyable, but her general presence made most things enjoyable.

When they finally left, Sirius couldn't believe his luck—his mother hadn't yelled at him even once!

…..

A year passed by quickly. Sirius had been counting the days till he would go to Hogwarts. _Not soon enough_. His birthday was in December, which meant an extra nine months of waiting on his part. _Some_ people got to have their birthday in July or August, the lucky bastards. Then they only had to wait a month or two to go to Hogwarts. But Sirius hadn't even gotten his letter yet, and knew it would be another good six or seven, maybe even eight months before he did. Sometimes when people were _TEN_, they got their letter, even if they did turn eleven soon after. But at least he would be able to go before Regulus. And at least he wasn't a Squib.

That's what Sirius kept telling himself, that he was so glad he wasn't a Squib. If he was... oh, no. He'd be disowned by his own family for something he couldn't even help. There were known Squibs in the Black family, people that his family didn't want to be known. But even worse than being disowned was being a Squib. Sure, being a Muggle wouldn't be bad because you wouldn't be jealous of your whole family. But Bellatrix told him that the caretaker at Hogwarts, Argus Filch, was a Squib.

"He lives up to his name," she had drawled, "Just one letter away from his true being. _Filth_." She spat the last word disgustedly, a scowl on her pale face. Sirius always imagined Bellatrix as a meaner, nastier version of Andromeda. Narcissa was okay, but he was pretty sure she was turning into one of _them_. Just a year ago she was talking about how annoying Lucius Malfoy was, and now she was obviously head over heels for him.

Speaking of Narcissa, it was her birthday.

Sirius had been eleven years old for two weeks, and now it was Narcissa's turn to get older. She was gonna be fifteen, ancient compared to Sirius. He yawned, climbing out of bed lazily. They weren't doing anything with his cousins, thankfully, because they had plans themselves. But Sirius knew he had to go to Bellatrix's wedding soon. He _really _didn't want to see her snog some guy she'd be marrying. _Really_.

His cousin had become a Death Eater.

Sirius hated that name.

What did it mean? _Death Eater?_ Did it mean that they thought they couldn't die, eating up death as they continued to live? Personally, he thought that was dumb. Even Sirius, eleven, knew that everyone died. Apparently the Dark Lord's goal was to _not_ die.

Yeah. _Right_.

"Get your lazy bum out here now, Sirius! Mum and Dad are out! You're in charge! I want some food!"

Sirius threw on some slippers and opened the door to find Regulus, little eight year old Regulus, standing there in a nightgown, holding a blanket and rubbing his eye, staring up at Sirius as soon as he saw him. "Uh, can I have some food?" he asked innocently.

"Get Kreacher to do it for you, if he's so damn helpful!" Sirius growled, wanting to go back into his room.

"But Mother and Father took Kreacher with them," whined Regulus.

"_What_?"

"I don't know why! But I'm really hungry, Sirius, and talking isn't gonna help!" Regulus used the blanket as a hood now, plastering it to his head childishly.

"Like _I_ know how to make food! I know just as well as you, Reg. Kreacher always makes our food. How are you gonna expect me to be a Weasley all of the sudden?"

"Huh?"

"The Weasleys are always cooking!" he explained irritably, remembering what his cousins had told him.

"Why don't we just invite a Weasley over then? I need to eat because I don't want to die. If I don't eat, I'll die! I'll die, Sirius! Do you want me to d-"

Sirius whacked his head in a playful manner, but probably did some damage. "Ow!"

"We can't invite a bloody Weasley over," he explained impatiently, rolling his eyes.

"Why not?"

"_Because, Regulus. _Weasleys don't like us."

_"Why not?"_

"Just because. How should I know? They're blood traitors, whatever that means. We live in a weird world, Reg. We can't invite a Weasley over to cook for us like a house elf. It doesn't work like that."

"That isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair," Sirius said, the truth of that saying dawning on him. "So... let's try to make it as fair as possible. You try making food and I'll supervise."

"Fine!"

Regulus stomped off to his room, slamming the door behind him, and the colorful little poster that said R.A.B. in his brother's recently neat handwriting blew with the force. Sirius sighed and turned back to his room, putting on older clothes since he was home alone today.

He pulled on his shirt clumsily, trying to smooth out the dozens of wrinkles on it as he did so. Then, all dressed and ready to "supervise" Regulus, he grabbed a book and headed down to the kitchen, a place he rarely visited because its most common occupant was someone he despised. Some_thing _he despised.

The huge old house seemed very quiet today... especially with everyone gone. Sirius leaned on the wall, waiting for Regulus to arrive.

He didn't have to wait for very long. A minute later, his brother came sprinting down the stairs fully dressed now.

"So what are you going to make?" Sirius asked, trying not to laugh at the prospect of Regulus, his eight-year old brother, cooking.

"Toast," he announced. "So it shan't be too difficult."

"Do you even know how to toast bread?"

"What do you mean, toast_ bread?"_

"You don't know what toast is?"

"Of course I do, Sirius! I was joking."

Sirius rolled his eyes, looking around the room. "So, where is the bread?" he asked, smirking.

"Err... well, lemme have a look around, it's _bound _to come up, right?"

"Of course. But you know what would be even easier?" Sirius' grey eyes danced mischievously.

"What?"

"Using magic to find it. Y'know, a spell. It's not like anyone would know."

"Is there a spell for finding bread?" Regulus asked, eyes filling with wonder. "And if there is, do you know it?"

"Yep, there's a spell. And if we look in Father's study, then it's sure to come up. Come on. I think it's called the _Summoning_ _Charm_." He pushed off the wall and turned out of the kitchen, gesturing for Regulus to follow.

_Meanwhile:_

_"They are going to destroy the house," Orion mumbled._

_"Too right you are," Walburga agreed, a look of uncertainty on her face at her sons' trustworthiness._

_Back to story:_

"What book d'you think it's in?" the younger of the two mused, tracing books along the shelf with his finger.

"Well, first of all, do you think we'll need a wand?" Sirius wondered, searching a pile of textbooks on a desk.

"Er, isn't there an extra wand in the attic?"

"I'm not going up there!" Sirius spat, remembering the disgusting space full of creepy, crawly things.

"I can!" Regulus offered, grinning. "I'm brave."

"You don't want to go up thee, Reg! You'll fall through the floor- which is the ceiling upstairs- and hurt yourself! I'm not getting in trouble with Mother and Father just so we could get a wand."

"If we've got a wand," Regulus started slowly, "then you can heal me! We've got hours, Sirius, think about it. Come on, please? We'll have our own wand, then! For up until we go to Hogwarts!"

Sirius groaned. "It sounds _awfully _wonderful," he admitted, thinking about all the spells he could learn before the other people who would be going to Hogwarts. "But... but... what if we can't heal you?"

"I won't fall, Sirius!"

"I'll go," he decided finally. "Can't let my baby brother risk his well-being for a silly piece of toast, now can I?" He laughed nervously.

"But I want to!" Regulus whined. "Please?"

"No," Sirius said firmly. "I'm going even if I don't want to, and you're not even if you _do _want to."

"But that's not f-"

"I told ya, Reg. Life's not fair. Wait here, I'll be back in a couple minutes. Keep looking for a book that has the Summoning Charm in it."

Regulus crossed his arms stubbornly. "Fine," he gave in, "Fine, you bloody bully. Fine, I'll wait here. Fine, you go ahead. And _fine_, I'll search for the bloody book!"

Mocking a salute in his brother's direction, Sirius ran up the stairs again and found the attic door.

The door was made of old wood, just like the rest of the house. He reached for the brass handle, feeling that it wasn't smooth, but rather rusty and worn, like it was left out in bad weather. With hesitation, Sirius turned the knob and the door creaked open, making a terrible sound as it did. The stairs before him were dark and narrowly build, a sour smell emitting from their wood. Sirius took a deep breath and plugged his nose as he leapt past the first three stairs onto the fourth. Eyes widening, he did it again. And again. In only three leaps, he was at the top.

Sirius didn't want to waste the fresh air he had saved in his lungs. So he looked around frantically in the musty old place for the wand, searching high and low. Eventually his search had to come to and end, because he needed air, and fast, but didn't want to taste _this_ air. He knew just from being in it that the place stank of... well, _something_. Finally when he couldn't take it anymore, Sirius took in a breath, choking on the disgusting air.

Then he saw the wand in the light from the other room. But just as he heard it, a moaning sound came from the opposite direction, in the darkness of the attic. Sirius flew around, eyes leaving the wand. He bit his lip and waited for the sound again, but heard nothing. Sirius gulped and turned back to the wand. Creeping toward the stick, he snatched it and threw himself down the steps, fell out of the room, slammed the door shut and laid panting on the floor, clutching the wand in his right hand tightly.

He sat up shakily, propping his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand, breathing heavily. As the trauma of the incident died down, Sirius looked back up at the door. He never, ever wanted to go into the attic ever again. Ever.

Sirius sighed and fingered the wand, not feeling very powerful with it. He stood up with difficulty and found Regulus in the study again.

"Got it, Regulus," he managed to say with a grin. "You find the book?" Sirius tossed the wand to his brother, who caught it but also dropped a book.

"Yeah," Regulus replied, bending down to retrieve the book that fell. "it's called _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4_. A bit old and tattered, looks like it was Mum's or Dad's when they were in school..."

"I'll wager it was Father's," Sirius guessed, taking it from Regulus and flipping through the pages. "Anyway, what's the charm?"

"_Accio_."

"...I'm pretty sure it's pronounced _Accio_, Reg."

"Whatever, try both when we're in the kitchen then."

The brothers went to the kitchen, and Sirius held up the wand, not knowing exactly what to do. "Err... _Accio! Accio! Accio!_"

"Why isn't it working?" cried Regulus.

"Uh... Accio bread! Accio bread!" Sirius waved the wand around pathetically, looked from left to right, waiting for bread to appear in his hand. Suddenly, quite unexpectedly, he was whacked in the back of his head with a loaf of pumpernickel bread, which then fell to the floor. Sirius flew around and picked it up.

"Here."

"Wow! Your first spell! That was really cool Sirius!"

Sirius glowed even under his little brother's praise. "Thanks," he grinned. "Now, how 'bout you eat."

"Where's the toaster?"

"Er..."

"...Do we even have one?"

"...Shit."

…..

AN: Yeah, so, the second chapter! Only four thousand words (fifteen pages!)... the first chapter having been one thousand. o.o Yeah, so, review please, each one casts a little glow of happiness on my heart. :)


	3. New Friends

AN: Apparently the library computers are wiped of memory at ten every night… therefore I must edit this again. D'x

Anyway, this is the last chapter that is old. The end of it is actually quite recent, but it's still not going to be the best. Lemme know what's wrong and what's right… n.n"

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it.

oOoOoOoOo

"I'm bored, Sirius," complained Regulus, lying on the sofa, twirling a dark ribbon in his hands. "Why aren't you doing anything?" He glared at his brother who lay dormant on the parallel sofa, seemingly asleep, but his breathing patterns gave him away.

"Sleep, Regulus."

"...Why? That's boring. It's broad daylight! Let's go outside."

"Reg, you know we're cooped up here all day every day. Outside is Muggle society, and Mother and Father don't want us talking to them. We can't play _Quidditch_, if that's what you're thinking. We can only play Quidditch at the Malfoy Manor with _Lucius Malfoy_." Sirius snorted. "I swear, when Narcissa ends up in an arranged marriage with him, I'm going to use an Unforgivable Curse on him." He faked gagging, and Regulus laughed.

"Why don't we break the rules? We could get along with Muggles."

Sirius opened a grey eye. "...Regulus, we can't talk to them! They... they... they're..."

"Filth?" Regulus guessed, a slight grimace on his face.

"Yes."

"That's just what Mum and Dad say. But listen, Sirius, remember in Diagon Alley? They aren't so differ-"

"_Regulus_!" Sirius snarled. "I _remember _the incident in Diagon Alley. You don't think they were right to do that, huh?"

"No, of course not!" Regulus gasped. "Why would they..." he trailed off, sitting up and looking at his brother angrily.

Sirius' scowl broke out into a grin as he beamed down at his kid brother. "I've taught you well, brother. Let's go outside, then, we could find a Muggle kid to tease and- I mean, to talk to."

Jumping right to it, Regulus ran to the front door, having to go through two rooms to get there. Sirius wearily rolled off the couch and inched his way to the other Black child.

"Come on, Sirius!"

"Be patient, you toe rag!" Sirius called. "I swear, if I have to listen to you complain for the rest of my life-"

"I'll go _grey_ by the time you get here!" Regulus interrupted rudely, whining.

Sirius rolled his eyes, moving even slower to annoy Regulus.

"The longer it takes you the sooner Mum and Dad will arrive!"

"Regulus, a few seconds won't change anything. Be patient or we can't go outside. Got it?"

Crossing his arms and leaning on the door boredly, Regulus stared at the door where Sirius would be coming from.

Regulus had stopped complaining, and Sirius didn't really feel like walking .01 miles per hour, so he sped up much to his brother's relief.

"Finally!" Regulus said impatiently. He jumped away from the door and shot his hand at the knob. "Took you long enough." With a tiny pale hand, Regulus turned the knob and ran outside. They were concealed by magic on the front steps, but suddenly appeared the second their feet touched the old cobbled street.

"Look!" Regulus shouted, pointing at some Muggle children playing with a ball on the street. "What're they doing?"

Sirius squinted, scratching his head. "They're doing some Muggle game. Tossing around a ball or something. Looks horridly boring, right?"

"No way!" Regulus almost tripped over in his haste to catch up with the Muggles. There were four boys and two girls, all of them throwing the ball from one to the other. Their ages ranged from around eight to twelve.

"Hi!" Regulus piped up, waving to them all with a big grin plastered on his face. "I'm Regulus, what's your names? This is my brother!" he added when Sirius walked up behind him less enthusiastically. "He's eleven, and I'm ei-"

"Regulus, _shut up_." Sirius rolled his grey eyes and looked back at the Muggles. "Hey, mates, I'm Sirius, you?" His eyes rested on the older girl, who was probably the same age as him, and he flipped his hair back casually, but elegantly.

"Jack," said the smallest boy who had lots of freckles and dark brown hair, "and that's Alfie and Lew. Emily's my sister, and Jessica and Harvey are twins. I'm seven."

"I'm Alf," a tall one with blond hair said, the one holding the ball now. "I'm leader of our gang." He gave Jack a little glare, but smiled at Regulus and Sirius again.

The rest introduced themselves; Lew had dark blond hair, and was plump, but kind-looking. Sirius wasn't sure he liked him, despite the warm look on his face and despite the fact that they hadn't even spoken to each other. Emily looked a lot like Jack; dark hair and freckles dotting her cheeks. Jessica and Harvey looked like exact copies of each other, but Jessica had longer hair and a rounder face. She was the girl Sirius had given the hair flip to. They both had straight, coal black hair, making them look foreign, but their bright blue eyes contrasted immensely.

"Sirius, was it?" Emily asked, pushing a brown lock out of her face.

"Yeah," he said, eyes flickering over to her from Jessica. "Sirius Black."

She would vaguely remember the name in twenty-three years when it would appear in newspapers and wanted posters.

The introductions took another long few minutes; Regulus kept getting their names wrong. But eventually, the brothers were invited to play. Sirius looked skeptical, and asked what in the name of god (he almost said Merlin's bollocks) were they playing anyway.

"Catch," Alfie replied coolly. "You know. Throwing. Catching. It's all very simple."

"Looks dreadfully boring..." Sirius muttered, not taking too much of a liking to the blond boy.

"It's not boring," Jack piped. "It's practice for soccer!"

_Dammit, what's soccer? Some Muggle sport? Should we know about it? Is it popular?_

"What's soccer?" Regulus asked before Sirius could say anything. He mentally smacked the younger boy.

"What's soccer!" Alfie scoffed. "He asked _what's soccer!_"

"It's just a game," said Emily. "Not too horrible, but I prefer football, myself."

"Heads up!" Alfie said, tossing the ball to Emily. "Come on, let's play!"

Emily grinned, and everyone soon forgot of Sirius' and Regulus' ignorance of the game. With two more people, it was more challenging. Everyone's eyes were on the ball as it shot from Emily to Jack to Alfie to Jack to Alfie to Jessica to Emily to Harvey to Lewis to Sirius to Jessica.

Regulus was on his toes as he waited eagerly for it to come to him. Sirius noticed this out of the corner of his eye and rolled them. He would have thrown it to the boy, but they were standing right next to each other.

"Switch!" Alfie suddenly cried, and everyone scrambled into a new position in the circle.

Finally, Regulus had the ball, and he grinned as he threw it, predictably, to Sirius. "All right!" he cheered, giddy with joy.

Three minutes later, another switch took place. Sirius went out of his way to stand next to Jessica. His small hints went unnoticed in the fun of the game.

Much later, Sirius decided that it had been long enough. Something told him that his parents would kill them if they knew where they were.

"Oh, god!" Sirius cried suddenly, looking over at Regulus with horror in his eyes. "Kreacher!"

"Creature?" Emily asked, bringing the throwing to a stop. "What do you-?"

"I told you, Mother and Father took him."

Sirius let out a breath of relief. Good, good. Panicking was over. "We should still go home, though," Sirius said. "They're gonna kill us-"

"Okay," Regulus agreed fearfully, only now thinking about what would happen. The brothers disregarded the Muggle children. It wasn't as if they would ever meet again.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"We have to go home, mates," Sirius suddenly apologized. "Sorry."

"Come back tomorrow, then," Jessica invited them warmly. "It's a lot more fun with extra people."

"We ca-"

"Sure!" Sirius interrupted urgently. "Yeah, we'll definitely come back as soon as possible! Come on, Reg. Let's go home, alright?"

Regulus frowned, not understanding his brother's motivation for accepting. "Okay," he agreed hesitantly.

They walked down the old street together, but Sirius stopped him from walking any farther. "This way," he hissed, pointing to the left. "Just walked down the corner, wait, then we can go home. Kay?"

Regulus nodded, and took his older brother's hand. Sirius frowned in thought, leading them down the cobbled street.

When he felt it was safe, he turned them both around and they were headed home again. Sirius looked back at the children and nodded, giving Regulus a gentle shove onto the first front step.

"Merlin, that was close," Sirius breathed out, collapsing on the sofa. He let his feet rest on the cushion, something he could only do when there were no adults or House Elves around.

"Mum said not to do that, Sirius," Regulus warned. "She'll be very angry with you."

Sirius shrugged. "Whatever."

oOoOoOoOo

In the next six months, Sirius had gone through major changes with his cousins and himself. Bellatrix would pull him aside more often, showing him that she had a Dark Mark. It scared him; only eleven, and his much older cousin was coaxing him to join Lord Voldemort when he was in fifth or sixth year.

"I'm not old enough," Sirius argued one day in early July.

"But you _are_ able to start thinking about it, Sirius. I'm going to be talking to Regulus about this before he starts Hogwarts, too."

Her grin was sickening, and it took all Sirius had not to look away. However attractive she was, she looked evil. Pure evil. It scared the shit out of Sirius. He was glad he wouldn't be going to Hogwarts with her.

The next day—July ninth- was a day that Sirius had been looking forward to very much. His letter from Hogwarts arrived by owl in the evening.

"Mum! Dad! Look! I got my letter!"

Walburga read it after him, then Orion. They both beamed at him.

"I am sure you will be the best wizard at Hogwarts," his mother told him. Sirius looked a little shocked.

"You think I'll be the best?" he said excitedly.

"Of course- better than all of the others in your year."

"I would expect no less from my own son. You'll be exceptionally better than all of the Mudbloods," Orion said. "It will be difficult to keep up with the others. You must spend all of your free time studying and looking into the Dark Arts."

Sirius' excitement faltered. "You want me to study the Dark Arts already?" he asked disappointedly. He hadn't thought that his parents would force him to do so.

"Of course," Walburga started as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The more you know the better. Now, Sirius, when would you like to go shopping for school supplies? Mummy is busy today and tomorrow, but I would love to take you soon."

Sirius shrugged. He wanted his wand more than anything in the world, but the expectation to fall into the Dark Arts disturbed him. Were all Slytherins doomed to follow Lord Voldemort?

"Any time you're able to, Mother," he answered.

"I can take the boy," Orion said. "Now, where's Regulus? That boy is such trouble…"

Sirius shrugged again. "In his room, probably," he muttered.

The next day, Sirius and Regulus' father took them to Diagon Alley for some shopping. When they got to Ollivander's, Regulus gave his brother a look of such deep emotion that it was difficult to see if he was jealous or in awe.

There were all sorts of odd measurements with an enchanted tape measurer—he jumped a little when it went between his nostrils, but soon it was around his head then at his fingertips. Soon enough Mr. Ollivander presented him with a box.

Willow, nine inches, phoenix feather.

"No," said Ollivander, then gave him another ("Birch, ten inches, unicorn hair"), then another ("Cherry, nine and a half inches, dragon heartstring").

"Try this," the old man suggested as he handed the fourth one over. "Birch, eleven and three-fourths inches, dragon heartstring."

Sirius waved it, looking at him sheepishly. Ollivander nodded.

"Yes, m'boy. Very good."

Seven Galleons later, Sirius had a wand. And that was that.

He was staring at it and waving it around as they walked down the road until Orion told him to put it away before someone lost an eye.

Sirius begged for a new broom—his parents were rich, why couldn't he get one?—but Orion said no, and that he would have to wait until next year after Slytherin won the House Cup.

_Great_, thought Sirius, _now I'm going to have to win the House Cup. Stupid parents. Stupid Slytherin. Stupid House Cup. Stupid broom._

He reluctantly moved on and found the rest of the trip rather enjoyable—his first textbooks, his first set of robes (what a peculiar trip!) and a new friend.

Peter Pettigrew, the boy said his name was. He was short... very short... and only ten years old. Sirius puffed up his chest when he discovered that he was older- not that it was much, being older than this tiny little boy.

"So, Peter," Sirius drawled after they had chatted for a while. His father and brother were off getting ice cream, but Sirius had decided to stay with Peter. "What House do you think you'll be in?"

"M-me?" Peter asked, letting out a short laugh. "Gee, I haven't thought about it much. I-I think maybe Hufflepuff-"

"Hufflepuff!" Sirius snorted. "Hell, I'd _leave _if I were put in _Hufflepuff_. _I'm_ going to be in Slytherin."

The blond boy gasped. "B-b-but the- I mean, Y-Y-You-Know-Who was in Slytherin!" Peter squeaked, looking rather frightened.

Sirius shrugged. "They can't be all bad folk. I kind of think they'd be rather nice, don't you? I mean, to their own Housemates."

Peter shook his head vigorously. "No, no- I have a cousin who's in Slytherin. He's as mean as can be! I don't like him very much at all."

He looked rather confused at this. "Not all Slytherins are bad," he said, thinking of Andromeda. "My own cousins are all in Slytherin. Everyone in my family has been in Slytherin. I only see it fit to be in it too... I don't want to be disowned by my Mum and Dad!"

Sirius didn't particularly like his parents, but didn't hate them either. He did hate Bellatrix, but he had a right to. Narcissa was okay, he supposed. Andromeda was his favorite. But they were all in Slytherin.

"They would disown you!" Peter said incredulously. "Impossible!"

"Of course not! Anyone can be disowned if they do something that doesn't please their family... right?"

Peter shook his head again, looking at Sirius like he was batshit insane. "No way! Your family is... well, they're your family! You should be in whatever House you want."

Sirius frowned skeptically. He didn't fancy the Slytherin colors much anymore...

"Well..." he said slowly, trying to win the argument, "your family is weird then! What if there was a Squib in your family? What use would a Squib be?"

Peter's mouth fell open. "Okay, so what? A Squib is a Squib... I mean... you're not supposed to _use _your own _family_... I love my family. I wouldn't care if we were all Muggles."

Sirius scrunched up his nose with disdain. "Why would you wanna be a Muggle? They play the most _boring _games... wouldn't you rather play Quidditch than _catch_?"

"Doesn't matter," Peter muttered, looking down at his shoes.

"Sirius," Regulus called, running over with a bowl of ice cream. "Look, look! You should have come to get some with us! Isn't it wicked? Check it out!" He held up the bowl and grinned.

"My brother," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Regulus. Regulus, this is Peter."

Regulus licked ice cream off his chin, leaving it still on the other parts of his face. "Hullo, Peter!" he said cheerily. "Are you going to Hogwarts too?"

Peter nodded, looking a little pleased that he was taller than this young boy. "Why, yes, I am," he said importantly. "I'm going to be a first year."

"Wow," Regulus sighed, "Lucky lucky. I wish I could go too."

"Don't worry, Reg," Sirius said impatiently. "You'll go soon enough. We'll both be in Slytherin and we'll be the reason that we win the House Cup."

"Yeah!" Regulus cheered, running back over to their father, who was in turn just walking to the children.

"Why do you want to be in Slytherin so bad?" asked Peter, turning to Sirius.

"Because," Sirius explained exasperatedly. "For the hundredth time, if I'm not in Slytherin then I'm screwed for life."

"Why?"

"Because!" Sirius said irritably. "Just because! Oka-"

He was interrupted by his father at this point. It was time to go home.

AN: I'm going to be very mean to Hufflepuffs in this, sorry. xD It's not me, though—it's Sirius. So if you're a Hufflepuff, well, sorry. Maybe when he starts dating he'll see a really sexy Hufflepuff. o.o Yeah, so. Hope you like it. :) Please review and favorite!


	4. Conflicts and the Train

AN: I'm on a roll with updating! xD I just wish I had more reviews. However, I only have a half chapter written after this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it. There is dialogue from The Prince's Tale chapter in this, and I don't own that either.

oOoOoOoOo

That night, Sirius was mulling over what Peter Pettigrew had told him. What did he mean? Weren't all families in the same House together? He knew all the Weasleys were in Gryffindor, and that the Lovegoods preferred Ravenclaw. Nobody really liked Hufflepuff.

Peter had said one of his cousins was in Slytherin. Did that mean…?

He looked at his bedroom wall, eyes dragging over the Quidditch team posters and the Hogwarts letter that were plastered to the wall. They fell on the green and silver Slytherin poster that sat just next to the letter. His nostrils flared in disgust.

_Wait, what?_

No, no... he needed to be in Slytherin. If he weren't, all of his money would be gone. He would have no home to call his own. Nobody would want him. What if he got to school and it turned out he didn't have magical powers at all? What if he were a Squib? What if he were Sorted into Hufflepuff? What if everyone hated him?

_Don't think like that, Sirius, _he told himself._ You'll be really popular. Especially with girls. Okay? Okay. Good. Besides, you've already done magic. Accio!_

He took a deep breath, pulling the covers up further over his head so that they covered his nose. Trying to shrug the sinking feeling in his stomach off as something he had eaten earlier, he fell into an uncomfortable sleep that provided plenty of nightmares.

oOoOoOoOo

"Siriuuuuuuus! We're going to King's Cross today! Hurry up and wake up! Sirius! Come on!"

Sirius groaned and pulled the blanket up over his head. "Too early," he mumbled.

"King's Cross! You're going to be on the train! Get up! Up, up, up!"

He reluctantly sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I know, Regulus. I'm going to be on the train today. I'm going to be at Hogwarts today. I'm going to be Sorted today..."

"Yeah!" Regulus blurted excitedly, "Slytherin!"

Sirius' eyes flickered from his brother's ruddy face to the poster on the wall. "Yeah."

"Did you know that our cousins are coming over before we leave? Bellatrix and Narcissa and Andromeda!"

His eyes widened in shock, mouth nearly falling open. _What_? They were coming over? He immediately thought of Bellatrix, whose nasty smile he could barely tolerate anymore, and then Narcissa, who at fourteen was hormonal and cruel, her crush on Lucius Malfoy growing larger every day. But he was reminded on Andromeda, the nicest relative he had (other than Regulus of course). She was to be seventeen in five months, a major point in every witch or wizard's life.

"Andromeda?" he repeated blankly.

Regulus nodded, grin stretching from one ear to the other. "Uh huh! And Bella and Cissy!"

Sirius' feet fell on the floor, and he yawn hugely. "Okay, okay," he mumbled. "Okay... I'm up... go away, Reg."

The boy nodded eagerly and spun out of the room, hurrying downstairs to wait for his brother and cousins.

Sirius suppressed another yawn and rose from the covers, lazily throwing off his pajamas and replacing them with the dull gray clothes he always had to wear around Muggles. They were dreadfully boring, but then again Sirius never really had any clothing that was interesting.

He ran a hand through his hair and checked it in the mirror, winking at himself for good measure. He checked his luggage since his mother had been nagging him to do so for a month. She was right; he hadn't packed enough underpants.

Once that was all taken care of, Sirius made sure to close and lock the door before bounding down the stairs three at a time. His excitement to see Andromeda was more prominent than his dread to see Bellatrix.

Turns out, they weren't there yet. Walburga hurried over to Sirius, who was just about to sit on the old couch in the living room, and brushed some dirt off of his shoulders.

"_Mother_," he muttered embarrassedly, pushing her hands off. "Please."

"You'll make a fine Slytherin," she told him seriously. "I'll be waiting for your first letter home, Sirius Orion Black."

He tried not to look uncomfortable. Slytherin was all he'd ever dreamed about, but Peter Pettigrew's words were still gnawing in the back of his mind.

"Yes, of course, Mother," he answered automatically. "I'm very thrilled."

She looked him over, seeming rather proud of the fact that she was about to receive news of him being Sorted into Slytherin.

"Alright, Sirius," she said, "I'll go make sure Kreacher has prepared breakfast."

He nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "They're coming now, though?"

"Yes, of course, of course," she answered dismissively, already on her way to the kitchen, her back turned to him.

Sirius plopped down on the couch, stretching his arms out and yawning again. "Merlin..." he muttered under his breath, still nervous and excited about the day. Today was the day everything was decided, _everything_.

"Sirius!"

Regulus zoomed into the room and crashed right next to his brother, laughing harder than his usual energetic self laughed.

"Sirius, S-Sirius! Y-you're gonna be at Hogwarts t-today!" he said through a fit of giggles. "Are you excited?"

Rather taken aback by his sudden appearance, Sirius was still trying to wipe the look of shock that had come to his face when Regulus ran onto the couch. He nodded in response.

"Yeah, Reg. Really excited. More than you know. But I'm tired..." he said the last words in a complaining sort of voice, and groaned as Regulus bounced up and down with sheer exhilaration.

"You're gonna go to Hogwarts! I'm so jealous! Will you write me? Tell me everything! Tell me if it's big or if it's small because I'm really excited to go I'm so excited only two more years-!"

"Shut up!" Sirius barked irritably, sounding harsher than he'd hoped. "Just shut up, Regulus!"

The boy dramatically pinched his lips together with his fingers and stayed silent, however he was still bouncing on the seat with joy. Sirius spared him an irritated look, but shook it off and sent his eyes toward the door.

"They're Apparating?" Sirius asked vaguely, turning his gaze to the magnificent fireplace across from them. "Or Floo?"

Regulus shrugged. "Probably Apparating," he guessed. "Narcissa isn't old enough but that doesn't matter I suppose since she's with them."

As if on cue, there were two muffled _cracks_ from outside and Regulus jumped up to look out the peek hole. He grinned and threw his arm up in the air. "Mum, Mum!"

Orion had just been coming down the stairs in his long cloak, a dark azure article that Sirius found looked odd on his father. He smiled at the man but received no return smile, and so Sirius looked rather troubled as he stared at his knees.

"Out of the way, Regulus," Orion said, gently shooing the boy away from the door. He opened it after a peek outside and greeted Druella and Cygnus first. They were all five let in the house.

Sirius saw Bellatrix and they exchanged sneers. Narcissa smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Andromeda, however much she looked like Bellatrix, wore a kind expression, though it was obviously distressed. She shied away from her family, and kept a close eye on Sirius.

"Good morning, dears!" Walburga said in a sickly sweet voice as she emerged from the kitchen. "However are you all?"

Sirius thought that she didn't really care however they were very much at all, but asked them anyway just for the fun of it. They all wore fake smiles and talked about fake things, pleasantries, and Sirius knew it was all for the benefit of them, because who would talk about Voldemort with little Regulus in the room? Even a young first year.

"Now, we're going to be on our way shortly after breakfast. I've had Kreacher prepare it ahead of time, there he is... now, now, come this way into the dining room and we shall eat."

The breakfast wasn't the most exciting of breakfasts that Sirius had consumed. It had consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, but Sirius knew that Kreacher had burned his toast knowing that he had not been told _not_ to. He didn't mind, but he made a mental note to clobber the elf when he got home.

He was just finishing his orange juice and having quite a nice conversation with Narcissa about Quidditch before Andromeda lightly touched his shoulder.

"Sirius?"

He put the glass down and turned toward her. "Yeah?"

"Come here for a second."

"Okay," he agreed, not even sparing a thought towards Narcissa. He noticed Andromeda apologizing to her sister for Sirius' rudeness, and he was rather ruffled after that.

"Come on," she said, pulling him by the wrist. Once they were out of the earshot of the others, she gave him a meaningful gaze.

"What is it?" he asked patiently, wiping burnt toast crumbs off his face.

"It's about the Sorting," she murmured, looking even more troubled than she had before.

"What about it?" Sirius asked, stomachs doing little flips. He'd been thinking about it all day.

"Don't be in Slytherin," Andromeda said bluntly. "I'm in Slytherin and I regret it to this day. Please, don't. It's awful."

His eyes widened in shock. For a moment he was too stunned to move or even breathe, but regained his composure in time for a good breath.

_Don't be in Slytherin?_ he thought._ But that's all we've ever been told to do! If I.. I mean... I'll be disowned!_

Sirius voiced his concerns to his cousin and she nodded.

"Yes. You will be disowned, I'm sure of it. But better be disowned by the family you hate and taken in by someone who cares. I'm serious. D-"

"_I'm_ Sirius-"

"-on't. Don't."

"Sorry."

She sighed. "Really, though. I'm going to be disowned, Sirius. I love Ted Tonks. We're going to be married when we're done with school."

"You're only sixteen!" he exclaimed, and she shushed him.

"Shh, I know, I know- you think I don't know? Listen. It's better to be disowned now, Sirius. You probably will be in the future. If not, you'll end up marrying a distant relative. Do you want to end up engaged to Ursula Black?"

"The third or fourth?" Sirius joked in spite of his worries, something in semblance to a grin on his face. Ursula was the name of their great-great-grandmother (she had been married to a headmaster), their great-great aunt, much older cousin and possibly third cousin once removed. There was a chance there were more of them.

"Ninth," Andromeda drawled. "Anyway... Sirius, I just don't want to see you get hurt. Don't let yourself fall into Slytherin."

He nodded, still not understanding entirely what it meant to be in one House or the other. He also vaguely wondered how everyone was Sorted... it couldn't be random, could it? No way, not if it involved being disowned... He wondered what his mother would say if he were in Gryffindor. What about Slytherin? Hufflepuff? What if he was disowned? Would his mother be there for him anymore? Would they let him in the house? Would he have to stay at school for the holidays? Would he have to give up Regulus? Give up his little baby brother?

"Oh my god," Sirius muttered. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Andromeda looked like she was about to cry- biting her lip, big wet eyes, a little frown and creased forehead. "I'm sorry, Sirius," she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

He shook his head, afraid that she would start to sob, and gestured for them to go back and finish eating.

"It's okay, Andromeda. Don't worry, I-I'll make the right choice..."

oOoOoOoOo

King's Cross was bustling with activity and people- there were dozens of children ready to get to platform nine and three quarters. Sirius could barely contain his excitement, and he felt foolish for being so much like Regulus. Speaking of his brother, the boy was running around looking at all the Muggles and such, who were going through the station to do their regular Muggle activities. They exchanged several looks and although Sirius was worried they would be separated, he was glad they got to spend time together right now, even if only just a bit.

"Sirius, what's that?" Regulus asked, pointing at a strange Muggle contraption that Sirius had never seen.

The older boy shrugged. "How would I know?"

"Are you ready?" Narcissa asked abruptly, gesturing toward the platform entrance with her hand. "We're about to start going off now, all these Muggles doing weird things are giving me the creeps..."

"Ready!" Regulus cried, emitting Sirius' thoughts and feelings perfectly. He was a bundle of energy and showed exactly how Sirius felt; it was comforting knowing that he didn't have to do it himself. For now.

"Okay, Regulus," Andromeda said, grinning and taking his hand. "Do you want to go with me?"

"Yeah!"

They ran into the wall, and no Muggle seemed to notice at all. Sirius gripped his cart a little tighter; here he was, about to go off to Hogwarts, still not knowing if he would ever see his family in the same way again. He was nervous, no doubt about it, and frightened and scared and feeling lonelier than ever.

But he was really going off.

As he was running, for just a split second, he wondered if he should stop and turn around; it looked like he was going to crash, going to crash, going to crash...

Before he knew it, he had gone through the wall and looked around with amazement; he had seen everything before, but now... now it all _meant_ something! He looked through the crowd, eyes passing a pretty redhead who seemed to be crying about something, over a thin, sallow-faced boy who was already in his robes, over owls and cats and teenagers and children until...

"Regulus! Andromeda!" he called, waving an arm for them. They caught up with each other and grinned together, all three pairs of eyes now searching for the rest of their family. Narcissa arrived shortly after, then Orion and Walburga, and finally, Druella, Cygnus and Bellatrix.

"I'm so jealous!" Regulus said for the hundredth time. He ran his fingers over the new trunks that they each had, filled with everything they needed for a magical time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The time came for the children to all board the train. F_inally_, thought Sirius.

He endured a hug with Regulus- rather, Regulus endured a hug with him. But then he had to hug his parents, and again wondered if this was the last time he would see them in this light- not that he was very fond of them, anyway.

"Good luck, Sirius," Walburga whispered into his ear before pulling away.

He looked over at his aunt, uncle and cousin. Bellatrix's sneer made his skin crawl. Druella didn't look like she felt much of anything at all, and Cygnus merely stood by like a flea to its mammal. Sirius' father, Orion, had collected Regulus from Andromeda and was shaking the girl's hand in a parting gesture.

"You're off," he said, and waved goodbye to the three children, who hurried onto the train without looking back. Narcissa went off to find Lucius Malfoy, and Sirius snorted when she mentioned his name. Now Andromeda and Sirius were left.

"Where should I sit?" he asked hesitantly, looking into the compartments, hardly able to contain his excitement. There were Galleons in his pockets, ready to be spent on delicious candy.

"With other first years, I should think," answered Andromeda, seeming to be looking for her friends. She spotted someone. "Oh, there's Ted... Okay, good luck, Sirius- I saw a girl crying in a compartment up there, go check it out- coming, Teddy-"

She left him alone in the middle of the narrow hall with just a small clue as to where to sit.

With that crying girl? Why would he want to do that? He was sure that he was more conflicted than anyone else on this train- he could be disowned! _She_ should comfort _him_, he thought.

"Hello," said a small boy with glasses and charcoal black hair. "Are you a first year too?"

This boy seemed to be just as lost as Sirius was, so he nodded. "Yeah. Just looking for a compartment."

"I saw this pretty girl in one over there," said the boy with glasses. "Why don't we go check it out?"

Sirius groaned internally. "No..." he said slowly. "It's alright... I don't really want to sit with a crying girl..."

He shrugged indifferently. "Okay," and he turned to enter the compartment that had been mentioned twice already. Sirius looked around for a moment longer before giving up and running after the glasses-wearing boy.

"Wait up," he said, "wait... I don't know where else to sit."

He grinned and gestured for them both to enter. They sat down opposite the girl, who was just looking out the window with tears streaming down her pale freckled face. She had flaming red hair and bright emerald eyes that were also red and puffy.

The boy in the glasses seemed to forget her completely as Sirius and him engaged in a wonderful conversation.

"I'm Sirius, by the way," he said suddenly, seeming to remember that they didn't know each others' names. "Sirius Black."

"James Potter," was the answer, and Sirius saw he had a very nerdy grin.

"Well, good to know you, James."

"Pleased to meet you, Sirius."

They chatted for a few minutes longer when suddenly the compartment door opened again. Sirius' attention was broken in half, and so was James'.

The boy who walked in also seemed to be a first year; he was small in build, but ugly and looked uncared for in a way that neither Sirius nor James knew. He sat across from the redhead, a worried expression on his face.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said in a constricted voice.

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?"

Sirius was intrigued by the conversation; this neglected boy and beautiful little girl? How on earth were they friends? He leaned in to listen as she threw the boy a look of deep dislike. Perhaps they weren't friends, after all?

"So she's my sister!"

"She's only a-"

James and Sirius exchanged a glance; they knew what he had been about to say. The redhead didn't seem to notice.

"But we're going!" he tried again, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

She wiped her eyes and nodded, smiling in spite of herself.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," the boy said, apparently encouraged that she had brightened a little. Sirius felt a cold hand clutch his heart, and moved to interrupt.

"Slytherin?"

Wait, _James_ interrupted?

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked Sirius as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Not knowing how else to respond, he spoke the truth.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin."

"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed alright!"

Something seemed to click in Sirius' brain at that moment, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you headed, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

Sirius wondered if the reason he wanted to go was _because_ of his dad. Did he _like_ his dad? Were you _supposed_ to like your dad? Were you supposed to _be_ like your dad?

He heard the boy who had been talking to the redhead make a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him.

"Got a problem with that?" he asked, obviously offended.

"No," said the boy, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interjected, taking into account his sallow face, thin arms and ugly nose. Looks were really what eleven-year-olds clung to at first.

James roared with laughter, making Sirius feel rather good about himself; he could really only make Regulus laugh back at home. The girl, however, obviously thought differently. She sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.

"Come on, Severus," she said to the boy, "let's go find another compartment."

"Oooooo," James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice, and Sirius noticed Severus almost tripping over James' foot as they passed.

"See ya, Snivellis!" Sirius called as the door slammed, and they burst into laughter, looking at each other with newfound respect.

"Did you see her face?" Sirius asked, laughing even harder.

"Did you see _his_ face? He's so ugly!" James said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Man, that was great!"

Sirius nodded, overcome with joy that he had already made a friend- and perhaps an enemy or two. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the pair, but quickly shook off that feeling as he and James dove into another conversation about Quidditch. For hours on end they talked, and both discovered they came from wealthy pureblood families, both with enough money to buy their own snacks from the candy trolley. Sirius made sure to get a few extra chocolate frogs to send to Regulus.

oOoOoOoOo

AN: Yeah, so… they're off to Hogwarts. :)


	5. Classes Begin

AN: So before I wrote this chapter, I made a list of ALL the first year students this year. To make it convenient for myself, there are ten students in each House—five girls and five boys. I know it's not very realistic, but sometimes classes are like that. I also wrote out Sirius' schedule. And daaaamn, they are busy, those eleven-year-olds. xD Anyway, if you want the list of students, go ahead and PM me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it.

oOoOoOoOo

The next morning at breakfast, which was nearly as wonderful as dinner had been, Professor Mcgonagall was passing out schedules to all of the students. For some reason she was giving Sirius a funny look, as if she had been expecting him to do something or say something. Sirius tried not to dwell on this fact, and he and James compared their schedules. They were exactly the same, and the same as Peter Pettigrew's, Remus Lupin's, and Dillon Hall's, who were his roommates and the only other first year boys in his House. The girls other than Lily were named Mary MacDonald, Penelope Valencia, Melissa Whitehead, and Hannah Harrell. They all had the exact schedule Sirius had.

Suddenly, hundreds of owls dove into the Great Hall, pouring feathers onto everyone's plates. Sirius wrinkled his nose, but his heart fell when he realized that his mother would be sending him a Howler. Dreading it on his first full day of school, Sirius could barely eat another bite.

"Expecting any owl post?" James asked lightly, eating some scrambled eggs.

Sirius shook his head, but was searching the room frantically. If there was a Howler, his life was over...

"Blimey!" James exclaimed, hand shooting up to point something out. "Look at the size of that!"

Sirius looked, wondering if maybe there was a big cake, but... no, it was a giant package roughly the size of a bed, but had a very distinct shape...

"It's a broomstick!" Peter said, mouth popping open. "Look, look- there! A broomstick!"

Several of the students became very quiet as an owl, which looked exhausted, fluttered to a stop at the Ravenclaw table. A girl with orange hair and freckles opened it up to reveal a brand-new broomstick.

"A Comet 360!" someone shouted, standing up in awe. "Look at that! She's gotten a Comet 360!"

Several of the students groaned with jealousy, including Sirius and James. A few people tried to snatch it away jokingly, but the girl who now owned it laughed and took it back.

"She's the Quidditch captain of Ravenclaw," said a third-year to the boys. "She's got to have one of the best teams Hogwarts has ever seen!"

"Really?" James asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" the boy nodded, staring at the new broom longingly. "You'd think Ravenclaws wouldn't be good at sports, but they're incredible!"

"That's weird," said Sirius, "my cousins always told me that the Ravenclaws study too much to have any time for practicing."

The older boy laughed. "Nope," he said. "They find time for everything, those Ravens." He turned to face Sirius and James. "So, I'm Frank, Frank Longbottom. Which ones are you, again?"

"James Potter," answered James, holding out a hand. "Pleased to meet you. This here is Sirius Black, he's a bit shy."

Sirius frowned; he'd never thought of himself as coming across as shy.

"I'm not shy," he said, a little defensively.

James rolled his eyes. "I was joking, mate. I thought you had a good sense of humor?"

Of course; joking. Sirius had never been around jokes much, so it was mostly him and Regulus coming up with stupid things, and even then, not much they said was funny. Apparently to be comical even a little bit, you had to be mean- like making fun of that Snape boy. Was that why Bellatrix thought she was funny?

"I've got it, I've got it," Sirius said, forcing a small chuckle. "That was a stupid joke, though."

"We can't all be perfect," James said dramatically. "So, Frank Longbottom, are you on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

"Nah," Frank replied, shrugging. "I'm not good at it, but if you're interested next year, talk to Gigeon Prewett. He's our new Quidditch captain, which is a position that follows you for two years."

"I've always been a good Chaser," James bragged. "My dad told me that I'd definitely make the team."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Well-"

Just before he was about to say something, a letter dropped onto his plate, oil stains from his breakfast seeping into it. Sirius looked at in in horror only to be relieved when he saw that it wasn't red, that it wasn't a Howler. Still, his heartbeat accelerated incredibly and he could hardly move to pick it up.

"Go on, then," James said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Open it, will you?"

Nodding weakly, Sirius ripped the envelope and took out a yellowed parchment that had his brother's untidy scrawl on it; after all, the kid was only nine.

"It's from my brother," Sirius said shakily. "M-my brother..."

"You have a brother!" James said excitedly. "Blimey, I've never had any siblings- that's wicked!"

James had no idea how bad this was. Sirius was so scared to see what Regulus had to say to him. Would be be disappointed? Sad? Mad? _Furious_? Confused? He unfolded it, making sure no one else could read but him.

_Dear Sirius,_

_Mum told me that you were put in __Gryffindor, I don't know why she said that is it true? She was really mad. Why would you let yourself be put in Gryffindor no one else in our family was put in Gryffindor did you tell them they were rong? Because I think you were supozed to be in SLYTHERIN. Because SLYTHERINS are awsome right! So plaese rite me back I hope you got it sorted out I'll see you at Christmas but mum told me not to rite to you but I'll do it anyway because you're in Slytherin now so see you at Christmas._

_Love, Regulus_

"What's it say?" James asked desperately, trying to get a peek. "What's it say, Sirius? What's it-" But he stopped now, noticing that the other boy was shaking.

Before James could ask what was wrong, Sirius stood up and ran from the Great Hall, the letter clutched tightly in his fist. He could hardly believe it. Regulus thought he'd been transferred to Slytherin. That he had Slytherin friends and was sitting at the Slytherin table, with a Slytherin schedule and a Slytherin mindset.

_No no no!_

Something was screaming at him, something in the back of his head, telling him to run to Dumbledore and ask to switch, to switch back to the House he was supposed to be in. Having been torn from Regulus was too much to bear. Tears were once again streaming down his face, which was more embarrassing than anything.

He ran up and down stairs, trying to get away from everyone, trying to find someone, anyone, who could help him. As he ran he bumped into someone else, and pushed them aside angrily because _Sirius _was all that mattered right now.

When he reached the top of the next flight of stairs, he looked down to see another crying boy who was picking up the books that had been knocked out of his arms. Sirius turned a little pale after realizing he was the reason the books were on the floor. He almost went down the steps again to help, but wouldn't manage. Through blurry eyes, all Sirius could see about the boy was that he had light brown hair and a small figure. When the tears slipped out of his eyes he immediately recognized the boy as Remus Lupin, who was one of his roommates.

Sirius was afraid that if he called to the other first year, his voice would crack. Thinking about Regulus' letter made him realize that whatever Remus Lupin's homesick troubles were, they were nothing of Sirius' concern.

As he ran up another staircase, he wondered if perhaps the boy's family was abusive. One had to wonder where all of those scars came from.

_Bam!_

Sirius tripped over a step that apparently liked to disappear; he would soon discover all thirty of the trick steps in the one hundred forty-two staircases at Hogwarts.

He fell and swore under his breath; he had hit his arm on a sharp step. As the tears began to dry up, he came to his senses and sat, panting, on the stairs, with no idea what to do or to say. He started to wonder what time it was and if he would be late to any classes.

His first class on Thursday (which was today) was History of Magic, which, he'd been been told by Andromeda and Narcissa, was the most boring class one could ask for. Sirius wiped the wetness from his eyes one more time before carefully studying the schedule which had been in his pocket the whole time.

_Monday_

_1- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_2- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_3- Free_

_4- History of Magic, classroom 4F (Cuthbert Binns)_

_5- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_6- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_7- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_8- Free_

_Tuesday_

_1- History of Magic, classroom 4F (Cuthbert Binns)_

_2- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_3- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_4- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_5- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_6- Free_

_7- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

8- _Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_Wednesday_

_1- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_2- History of Magic, classroom 4F (Cuthbert Binns)_

_3- Herbology, greenhouse 1 (Pomona Sprout)_

_4- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_5- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_6- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_7- Free_

_8- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_After classes: At 12am, students will report to the Astronomy Tower to learn the names of planets and stars. Students will be given a Dreamless Sleep potion as well as a Vitamix Potion for the morning. These are to ensure that they are on time for class the next day._

_Thursday_

_1- History of Magic, classroom 4F (Cuthbert Binns)_

_2- Herbology, greenhouse 1 (Pomona Sprout)_

_3- Herbology, greenhouse 1 (Pomona Sprout)_

_4- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_5- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_6- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_7- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_8- Free_

_Friday_

_1- History of Magic, classroom 4F (Cuthbert Binns)_

_2- Defense Against the Dark Arts, classroom 3C (Vanessa Delacroix)_

_3- Herbology, greenhouse 1 (Pomona Sprout)_

_4- Charms, classroom 2E (Filius Flitwick)_

_5- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_6- Tranfiguration, classroom 1B (Minerva McGonagall)_

_7- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

_8- Potions, Dungeons (Horace Slughorn)_

The schedule was very full, and his first class started in ten minutes. It was on the fourth floor, and he was on the sixth. How many floors were there, again? He took a deep breath, then started to walk down the stairs, wondering where in the castle the class room could be.

Remembering the trick step, it was the one he hopped over, nursing his bruised arm. Hoping not to find any more of those buggers, he took to skipping every other step to avoid them.

_Classroom 4F... classroom 4F..._

He kept looking around on the fourth floor, but it was so big. His heartbeat began to get faster and the castle seemed to get bigger. Nervously, Sirius turned the corner and let out a sigh of relief, for there were about a dozen students hurrying into a room, and he saw James, and hurried towards the crowd.

"Where did you go, mate?" James asked before class started. The teacher was nowhere in sight.

"Sorry," Sirius answered. "I just felt a little under the wea- look!"

He pointed a finger toward the chalkboard, eyes growing wide as a ghost floated right through it behind the desk. Several of the students began to whisper amongst each other, and as Sirius looked around the classroom, he noticed that this class was shared with the Hufflepuffs, whose black and yellow ties were instantly recognizable.

The teacher, who turned out to be the ghost, told everyone to listen up and got right into explaining the rules of the class.

His voice was enough to make Sirius sleepy.

oOoOoOoOo

Over the course of the day, Sirius became more and more tired, hoping with all his might that he would be able to go right back to his dorm after dinner and take a long nap.

In each of his classes, he was paired with someone different- at least, so far. History of Magic wasn't a class in which there was any interaction. Professor Binns had told them that there would be very little talking and a lot of note taking. Herbology was taken with the Ravenclaws, which was wonderfully convenient because Sirius had no idea what the textbook had been talking about. Cynthia Eyre, his partner, apparently knew all about it because her dad was a wizard biologist, which meant he worked with Muggles about plants.

In Transfiguration, which was taken with the Ravenclaws again, Sirius had made sure to snag the seat next to James, which was good, because Minerva McGonagall had made it clear that these were their permanent seats until Christmas.

She then turned her desk into a pig and back, impressing the students beyond words. Sirius' mouth popped open and he just knew that he would be doing that by the end of the year.

At the end of class, the only one who had been able to change a match into a needle was James, who looked rather smug. Sirius had to admit it was difficult to say the least. He promised himself he would practice this as much as he could, and before the teacher could see, he slipped a match into his folder as they left.

Potions, which was taught by a very round and balding man by the name of Horace Slughorn, was fun as well. Sirius knew he wouldn't be very good at it- plus they were paired with the Slytherins- but since he was able to sit with a Gryffindor, everything was okay. He noticed Lily Evans and Severus Snape sitting together.

"You're Remus, right?" Sirius asked carefully, fully aware that this kid flinched at almost everything.

"Y-yeah," Remus answered, looking around uncomfortably. The dungeons were cold and damp, even with their robes on.

Sirius wondered what could possibly be wrong with him. The cuts on his face were starting to be disturbing.

Halfway through class as Horace Slughorn was writing on the chalkboard, Remus absently scratched his nose. Sirius looked over and his eyes widened. "Y-you're bleeding," he whispered, prodding Remus' arm with his finger.

He saw the boy's face go pale as he wiped his sleeve over the blood, and that was that. Sirius tried not to think about it anymore.

oOoOoOoOo

_Dear Regulus,_

_I don't know how to say this, exactly. But I am in Gryffindor. They didn't switch me to Slytherin or make any mistake. I'm not meant to be in Slytherin. You'll understand when you're older. I'll see you at Christmas._

_Love, Sirius_

oOoOoOoOo

AN: 'Tis very sad indeed. Oh, and about Remus—he doesn't think he'll make any friends. So I won't have him part of the group until after the next chapter. More on Peter next.

Fun fact: The way I set Andromeda's age, she's going to get pregnant in the last few months of her seventh year… fun fun… xD

Something else: This IS going to be as canon as I can possibly make it, so however much I want Sevily, it's going to be Jamily. Dx

**One last thing: **_**Please**_** review!**


	6. Letter From Home

AN: It's only been like five months, guys... n.n" Sorry. I've had plenty of time to write this, but my inspiration for Harry Potter-related things has been lacking. I probably need to read more fanfiction. But there's hardly any for Siri/Reg. -sighh-

oOoOoOoOo

In the first week they'd gotten so much homework that there was barely any time to use the loo. Sirius couldn't believe how many notes they had to take and how much they had to study. With barely any time to write to Regulus, he felt bad, because there had been a letter sitting on the desk in his room for about three days now, which read,

_Dear Sirius,_

_Well, if you're in Gryffindor at least it isn't Hufflepuff. I think that's good. Anyways just wanted to say good job because Mum hasn't sent you a Howler or anything, but she's really really mad. Plus Kreacher is in a mad mood and he told me to be in Slytherin no matter what. What do you think, Sirius? Because Andromeda is in Slytherin too and I know you like her more than anybody else in our family._

_Love, Regulus_

He hadn't had any time to form a reply.

Okay, that's a lie. He'd had plenty of time. It would only take a few minutes to scribble down an answer to his little brother's problem. There was no excuse. He had to write now.

_Dear Regulus, _he wrote shakily.

_Dear Regulus,_

_Yeah I know, Hufflepuffs suck. There are twins in Hufflepuff this year, I sure am glad not to be in the middle of that. I mean just thinking about it sucks. Yeah Mum hasn't said anything to me. Well bye._

_Love, Sirius_

He read it over and groaned. There was nothing about what House to choose! He was being an awful brother and crumbled up the paper to toss in the wastebasket.

"Are you doing the Potions homework?" said a voice from behind him, making him jump.

"Oh, hey James... nah, I'm just trying to, er, figure out a way we could sneak into Hogsmeade."

James giggled. "Yeah, right," he said, "Only third-years and above are allowed. We've only been in school less than two weeks!"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, the sooner the better, right? I was thinking of asking Peter and Dillon to come along too. What do you think?"

"Come along to where, though?" James asked.

"I dunno... the second years were talking about sneaking off next weekend. You know, to go to Hogsmeade." He grinned at just the thought of going to the magical place.

_"_But it's against the rules," James said. He hadn't grown up getting into trouble, seeing as he had no siblings to do so with. His parents had been rather old when he was born, resulting in being babied and spoiled. But he never got into trouble; if he had, his parents wouldn't adore him.

"So what?" Sirius answered lazily.

"S-so we're not allowed," stammered James. "We'll get into trouble!"

"So what?" repeated Sirius.

What did it matter? Sirius didn't see why a detention would hold James off from a trip to the magical town. And if they didn't get caught, there was obviously not going to be a detention. Sirius told this to James and he seemed to brighten.

"Class clowns," he said, "we could be the class clowns."

Grinning, Sirius nodded. "Right! Everyone would love us. James and Sirius: The Troublemakers of Hogwarts!"

"Come on, be creative," laughed James. "The Hogwarts Hooligans! The Magical Mishaps! The Bothersome Boys!"

"Now you've got it!" Sirius said excitedly. "Should we invite Peter and Dillon?"

James nodded, thinking himself clever for the alliterations. "Sure, if you want," he grinned. "Maybe that Lupin kid too."

_Remus_? Well, that was a thought. Sirius didn't know much about him other than the fact that he was quiet, smart, and had a lot of scars. He shrugged as an answer. "I guess..."

Well, Sirius supposed, he would have to at some point include the strange boy in their activities. He would feel extremely guilty if they left him out of all the fun.

"So..." Sirius started lamely, mind wandering to how he could write a letter to Regulus. "Want to-"

_Knock, knock, knock._

After a moment's hesitation, "Er... come in."

The mahogany door opened to reveal Penelope Valencia, another first year in Gryffindor, who just so happened to be the prettiest girl younger than thirteen at the school. She had ash-white blond hair with a blue feather hanging down in it, the bluest eyes Sirius had ever seen, and her nose was small and perfect. She was tall, thin, and was already growing boobs- a major plus; Sirius thought that she would probably have the biggest ones in their class by the time they were in fourth year.

James turned bright red when he saw her. It was Saturday, so she was wearing Muggle clothes (half-blood), and they made her small breasts seem bigger.

"H-hey, what's up?" Sirius asked, blinking.

"Do you know what the Charms homework is? None of the other girls but Lily Evans knows, but she's off with that weird kid in Slytherin."

Sirius shook his head ("haha, homework"), but James nodded and walked over to his bag of books, pulling out the charms one; it was in perfect condition, brand new and beautiful like a batch of folded clean laundry. He opened it to one of the first pages and pulled out a scrap of parchment- which was inked with "study chapter 2, pay special attention to the charm _Rictusempra, _as you will be using it on your partner in class briefly." It wasn't as tidy as the rest of his things.

He held the paper out to her, with roses still blossoming on his cheeks, trying to keep his eyes on face. Sirius rolled his eyes. James was such a nerd.

She took it, read it, and smiled- a winning smile, with cupid-bow lips and adorable dimples.

"Thanks," Penelope said, a bit more airily than would have been expected. She handed the parchment back to him and waved goodbye, then left.

Silence followed.

"Oh my god," James finally breathed out. "Did you...?"

Sirius laughed. "Mate, you're such a nerd. You should have seen how red your face was."

James looked away, embarrassed, and muttered something under his breath. Sirius rolled his eyes once more and ignored him, thinking again of Regulus.

After a few seconds, when James realized Sirius was going back to whatever he was doing before (he'd figured Sirius was lying about Hogsmeade), he wandered off to his four-poster bed and opened the text book to chapter two.

oOoOoOoOo

Peter Pettigrew was the strangest roommate. He refused to gossip, and didn't think that anyone was terribly awful. Rare were his moments of intellect. The boy couldn't have lived at Hogwarts without friends. He needed someone. Of less than three hundred students at Hogwarts, Sirius supposed that Peter was the most innocent. It was kind of adorable.

Dillon Hill was also the strangest roommate. He was unkind, to an extent, and seemed to love poking his nose into other people's business. He did have a sweet side, but that was reserved for people he liked. It was hard to figure out what to think about the kid, because he was different toward everyone.

Remus Lupin was the strangest roommate of them all. He did not talk much at all, as if he were afraid that someone would hate him. There was nothing to do about it, because he rarely spoke more than a few words at a time. James had asked if he was Lily Evans' friend, and he replied, "Yeah."

James Potter was the coolest roommate of all time. Sirius could talk about almost anything with him. He never mentioned the fact that his mother probably hated him now, but that didn't matter, because James never asked. They could do homework together. Both liked Transfiguration. Minerva McGonagall was the best teacher. She was evil, but still the best.

"I don't understand them," James said the day after Penelope had come to their room.

"Don't understand what, mate?"

"Girls."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "They're just like us. Except, they have a-"

"I know, I know," James said hastily. "But just the way they talk. It's so weird."

"It's not any different from how we talk!" Sirius answered incredulously. Honestly, did James have _any_ female relatives other than his mother?

"My mum said they can read minds..."

"Oh bugger, don't believe that. Legimency... Legimimency... Legamenty... w-whatever it's called... has to be _learned_. Only a couple people can do it. Read minds, I mean."

"But still... they're so creepy."

"Girls?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever you say, mate..."

Sirius thought of Andromeda. She was... strange, wasn't she? He had wondered why she told him to join Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. And then he'd found out. It was simple enough. And he understood why she was going to be disowned. And he understood why _he_ was going to be disowned. But he didn't really understand _why_.

"Sirius?"

He glanced up, the clouded look in his eyes vanishing. "Yeah?"

"Were you really writing a scheme earlier?"

"Tomorrow," Sirius laughed. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow. There's a Potions essay due soon, so shut the hell up and get to your homework."

oOoOoOoOo

_Dear Regulus,_

_As you know, I'm not a fan of Hufflepuffs either. And I needa tell you, there's this creepy Slytherin kid named Snape and you should stay away from him when you get to Hogwarts. Anyways thanks for not hating me for being in Gryffindor. I'm going to pretend to Mother that I hate it. Who knows maybe she'll believe me. Anyways I'm gonna write you letters whenever you want, just send me something. Also you can be in whatever house you want. Slytherin isn't completely bad. There are a couple of pretty girls._

_Love, Sirius_

oOoOoOoOo

AN: Wooooow. _Lotsa_ shit has been happening. Sorry about the random scenes. Had to update. Dear three people reading this,_** review please.**_I know that you've heard this as many times as your mum has told you to brush your teeth or make your bed... but **please**... _**review**_... it makes me _so _happy, and I _need_ the criticism, however good or bad it is. Love ya with a capital Wuv! 3


	7. Question

A/N: This isn't a chapter update, unfortunately. This is a question. I'm bumping this up to the top for a reason. Do you guys think I should continue? My writing style has definitely changed, even in the last 6 months. Is this story worth bringing back, or do I just have 2-3 "avid" fans? Not to say you guys aren't amazing and important, but some feedback about how I should do this would be nice.

Thanks for getting this far! You're a real trooper.


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